Pit exe 3
by Pandora's Labyrinth of Memes
Summary: Okay this story is done now! It's a bit different from the previous 2, but this has the finale and that's how it really ends. And ayy I finally drew a picture for it! Protag's are girls (One is artist: Dark Tiffany's persona) cuz I imagined that, but you can imagine anyone. This might be my last fanfic for a long time but I'm glad I didn't have to abandon it at a cliffhanger.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1 - It's Happening Again

(Author's Note: I know I keep saying the last Pit .exe was the end but I really didn't want to let it go, lol. Also didn't upload to Archive of Our Own yet because that'll just be two uploads of my same story on the internet. I feel it's not necessary.

This fanfic has themes of realistic violence along with cartoon violence. It also has some real world problems that might be scary. If you think you can't handle reading it anymore, please don't force yourself, it's okay.

This story is a continuation of the Alternate Good End in Pit .exe 2. So same as before, the protagonists are unnamed and genderless using the pronoun "they". This fanfic will be different because I'm aiming for a fanfic that will make you think more than feel, hope you folks find it interesting!)

(7 years later)

The sound of a noisy alarm clock wakes me up, so early that the sun hasn't even begun to rise. Today was a typical day of working my office job, it's honestly pretty boring. A day of nothing but filing papers, sending reports, taking the boss's orders, and the occasional procrastination on the internet. It's a dull routine for me, but it's my current life. Which is all the more reason to celebrate any small victories and joys you come across along the way.

My favorite part of this job is the lunch break, I'm sure most of my co worker's can agree with me on this. Right now it's that time where I can escape to the long awaited break room. A room that pauses the chaos of our workload and stress with the purpose to have lunch, chat with others, and just relax for however long you can. I like to sit at the table with magazines and newspapers to skim through the pages.

I ate a sandwich as I flipped through this week's paper. There were articles about car accidents, health and gardening tips, food reviews by famous critics, all the usual stuff... On the very back page, flipping the bundle of paper over revealed the most unsettling event. It read:

"YOUNG BOY LOST HIS LIFE BECAUSE OF A BOTCHED VIDEO GAME?! ARE GAMES NOW A THREAT TO OUR LIVES?!

From being a competitive hobby to a complete waste of one's time, people have a wide range of opinions on the topic of video games. But what happens when such a fun and harmless thing becomes unexpectedly fatal?

Recently a young boy was found dead in his room with a video game as the culprit. An autopsy shows no health problems or physical damage that could cause this. Though on the screen of the game was something blurry and sinister. It appeared to be that child's body, mutilated with severed limbs and covered in blood. His family was devastated, they're trying to press charges on the store that sold the game…"

The newspaper article had two photos, a picture of the blurry dead child on the screen and a photograph of the game store. Everything about it gave me an uneasy feeling of nostalgia. About 7 years ago, I experienced something similar from a game. A cursed video game that once caused me trouble, I'd even say it was tearing my life apart at its seams. Though it didn't kill me, I'd hate to go through that nightmare again.

Over the years, I eventually let go of gaming because life demanded more out of me. The hobby I shared with an old friend of mine, who I barely talk to nowadays. Perhaps this newspaper article was here to remind me of the things I have almost forgotten. These newspapers and magazines on this table are free to take home, so I took the liberty of clipping the article and stuffing it in my pocket.

I checked the clock, break time was almost over. So I ate the rest of my lunch as quickly as possible and went back to my work desk. If I finish my work quickly, I can leave immediately after. When I get back home, I'll try to chat with my friend and tell em about this article. It's been more than a while.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2 - Old Friend, How Have You Been?

After driving through the traffic of this city and returning home, I put my things away and took a shower. When I got out, I went to the kitchen to make something to eat. There was leftovers from yesterday's dinner, so I heated that up in the microwave.

I was so tired that I almost forgot that I was planning to talk to my friend again. Hopefully they'd be able to answer. Last time we talked, I think they mentioned working at some Convenience Store. Though I'm not sure if employees can use phones at work or not.

The microwave signaled that my food was warmed up, temporarily cutting my train of thought. I took the steaming plate of leftovers out and placed it on the kitchen table with a fork. Then I went to get my cell phone and dialed in my friend's number from memory.

I sat down and begun to eat while holding the phone up to my ear. It's been dialing for about 15 seconds now. "C'mon, please be there..." I thought to myself.

Right before it would end with "please leave your message after the tone", someone picked up.

"Uhh... Hello?" No doubt, it was their voice. It's been so long since I last heard it, I just hope they'd still recognize mines.

"Hey buddy, remember me? Been a real long time, huh?" I responded.

"... Ohh it's you! Yeah it's been like forever!... So whatcha doin' now?" They said in their happy voice that'd always cheer me up in the past.

"Finished work about an hour ago and at home. And you?" I asked.

"I'm at work, hahaha!" Said my friend.

"And yet you picked up?! Maaaan, I hope you don't get in trouble cuz of this." I replied.

"Don't worry about it, there's no customers right now!" My friend kept laughing on the other end.

"Ughh, you never change... But that's probably a good thing, ahah." Old memories relayed in my mind, laughing on the phone together restored a feeling of joy I had lacked for years.

"Yeah, haha… So wait, what're we talking about again?" They asked, and admittedly I forgot amidst my excitement.

I told them about the newspaper article, a report of a video game being responsible for a boy who died in real life. And because of what happened to us 7 years ago, this is the only person who'd believe me.

"Oh man, this again?... Should we take action this time around?" Said my friend.

"I was thinking about that. But first, wanna hang out for old time's sake?" I wanted to meet up again not only to discuss this matter, but I really miss them.

"Tomorrow I'm free, if that's not too much trouble for you?" They asked.

"Okay perfect! I'll tell my boss I suddenly got diarrhea and-" Before I could finish my friend blurted out: "People are waiting in line already, OKAY BYE!"

After hanging up, I slowly placed the phone back on the table. I tried to contain my laughter but couldn't stop myself from chuckling. They have always been so silly and they're as funny as ever.

For now I'll just lie to my boss and call in sick for a few days so I can reunite with an old friend. Meanwhile, I should be taking care of things and getting ready for bed. I have a strong feeling that tomorrow will be a real adventure for us.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3 - Let's Get Some Answers

The next day I woke to the sunlight crawling through my window. Birds sang their songs outside and a soft breeze rustled through the trees. Normally I don't get to see this because my work starts early in the morning. So why am I seeing it today?...

I suddenly remembered that I turned off my morning alarm because I made plans to hangout with my friend. Calling in sick for this seems "justified" enough. I just gotta investigate this, there may never be another chance.

My friend had to hang up before setting a time and place to hang out. So I called them to ask when and where to meet.

We agreed on going to a bakery, one that I personally enjoy. I got my things and drove out to pick them up from their place. After placing our orders, we sat on a high chair table aligned with the glass wall that let us watch the world outside.

"So this is the article from yesterday. Here, you can look at it." I said as I passed the paper clipping to my friend.

They skimmed through it while eating the hot dog croissant they got from this bakery. After they finished reading they pointed to the store's picture and said "Remember that old game shop?... This is them, they renovated and changed their store name a few years ago."

"Really? I didn't know because I kinda quit playing games..." I replied.

"Eh I figured, since you stopped talking about it... But that's fine, it's just a hobby, no worries!" My friend said supportively, but I could sense the sadness they were trying to hide.

"Yeaaah, I just don't have the time anymore… But anyways, on the topic of this article. What do you think? Like, you got a plan or something?" I asked.

"Well I was thinking... What if we get sucked into the game again and beat the evil this time?!" My friend said out loud. We're both adults and in public right now, this was just embarrassing.

"Umm, haha. I dunno about that..." What happened 7 years ago is still clear in my mind. We both lost while fighting inside the Kid Icarus game, and I believe if Pit didn't accidentally kill Dark Pit to snap out of it, we'd be dead inside the game. And there's no "extra lives" in real life.

I had an idea so I pulled out my laptop from my bag and went online. Going through internet stories about games that end up killing people. Some seem like they really happened, but no evidence to prove. Most of them are supposedly "fictional stories", but I can't agree with that entirely. Not after what the two of us experienced...

My friend and I talked about it for a long time, maybe over an hour. We sat together in this bakery theorizing and discussing all possibilities, but to the public we probably looked like nerds.

"Okay I got a new idea. What if we go to the store and ask about it? If anything, they'd tell us their side of the story." I was getting tired of guessing, so with this plan we can actually find out more.

"Hmm, sounds solid. Alright, to the old game store!" My enthusiastic friend blurted out, holding a fist in the air. Still pretty embarrassing but I don't know any of these strangers, so it's fine.

We got in my car and I drove over to the mall, it took awhile to find a parking space because it was crowded, but we find one in a non tow-away zone. Then we headed straight to that store, it looked almost unrecognizable with the renovations. We pushed open the doors and stepped inside...


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4 - More Than Meets The Eye

There were so many new things since I stopped going to this game store. New consoles, many games I never heard of, and the classics that I'm familiar with. The man at the counter had "brownish-blonde" colored hair, somewhat scraggly and a bit long. He wore a leather jacket over his work uniform. I think he looked familiar but I couldn't recall where I seen him from.

My friend went up to the clerk and started to talk about the incident, asking about anything he'd know. Meanwhile I walked around because I haven't been there in years. I payed more attention to the shoppers since I didn't care for the games. There were many different people, majority wore graphic tees and casual outfits.

Though one person really stood out to me. A lady who had short black hair with glasses. At first I mistook her for a teenage boy, but I sneaked up closer and saw that she wasn't a guy. In a crisp-looking collared shirt and dress pants, she looked very professional to be shopping in a game store.

The lady was just standing in the corner watching everyone, but constantly eyeing my friend talking to the cashier. She eventually noticed me. I think I spooked her because she immediately left through the backdoor. Perhaps she works here? But she wasn't wearing any uniform…

"Hey, come over here for a sec." My friend called out to me from the clerk's counter. I shook off my discomfort about that woman and walked over.

"Yo this guy says the cursed games are real. And we know this happened to us before, so this is really real!" My friend said.

"Hey wait a minute… didn't you buy and sell back a used Kid Icarus game with problems? Like, some years ago?..." The clerk asked.

"Actually yeah... I'm surprised you still recognize me, that was ages ago!" That's why I thought this man looked familiar…

"Yeah, haven't seen ya since you gave the Kid Icarus game back… We never really introduced ourselves, my name's Ryan. Nice to meet you for a second time, heheh." Ryan chuckled.

We introduced ourselves and continued to talk with Ryan about the newspaper article. Meanwhile, the customers around us went to the other cashiers.

"So yeah, there's that incident about the little boy. I think we already got sued but I'm not too sure. I could ask the manager, if you want?" Said Ryan.

"Yes, thank you. If it's not too much trouble." This is great, now we can now hear the story from their side.

"Alright, lemme ask her." Ryan said as he went through the backdoor. "Hey Val, ya got a minute or two?..."

About two minutes later, the door opened again. And to my surprise, that lady I saw earlier walked out with Ryan. She seems a bit young to hold that position, but I guess managers can be young too...

"Hi. I'm this store's manager, m-my name is Valerie. Wh-what did you want to ask about the newspaper?" Valerie tried to sound happy but she was clearly nervous... Maybe it was me starting at her, maybe she thinks I'm a creep...

"Well... About 7 years ago, something like this happened to us. It's like the game was affecting our lives, it was almost dangerous. We sold it back here and- …" I stopped talking because Valerie was staring at me with this, look of terror. I was perplexed, but also worried if she was okay.

"... Uhh. Wait here, we sh-should discuss this in the back. I- um, I gotta do something…" She was acting strange, but I didn't want to just ask her what's wrong.

She went around the store to announce she's closing the store early. I was confused, why would she need to close the store to talk about this?

All the customers and workers except Ryan left. She locked up everything; the doors, windows, even the air vents. She basically put the whole store on lockdown.

"Alright, all closed up. Nobody can get in now…" She was almost whispering to herself, it seemed.

"We can have that conversation i-in the back room now. Uh, this way…" Said Valerie as she held the door open.

My friend and I exchanged uncomfortable looks with each other but said nothing. Something about this felt wrong, I hope my choices didn't put us in danger once more. But for now we just have to wait and see...


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5 - She's Kinda Suspicious

I didn't know what to expect when Ryan and Valerie lead us to the back room. It appeared to be just an employee restroom and things for the shop. Though with the lights off, I could barely see anything.

Valerie walked up to a large drawer, and for some reason she was trying to move it.

"Uhh, you need help?" Ryan offered.

"..." Valerie was sweating a little, possibly from the drawer being heavy? But I can't shake the feeling she's hiding something.

"Yeah, kinda… Thanks." She muttered and stepped back from the furniture.

Ryan moved it out of the way, there was nothing behind it… Until Valerie flicked a switch somewhere, a hidden door unlocked! I couldn't even tell there was a door, and my friend was a little too excited.

"In here…" Said Valerie.

We entered the secret room, it had a table with 3 computers and wires everywhere. Along with some empty soda and energy drink cans lying around the desk and floor, there was a box of unopened drinks in the corner of the room. The trash appeared to be full.

Hastily written notes, photographs of people, and all sorts of articles cluttered the desk and taped to some of the walls. Most of the place was coated in dust, but part of it been recently cleaned. There was also a backup power generator...

Valerie walked to the center of the room and started to speak.

"I've been tracking the incidents, similar to this last one. And a group of people, I know they are responsible... Their methods are unethical, but laws and ethics won't stop them..." Valerie explained with such authority in her voice. As if upon entering this room, she's an entirely different person! Ryan started to speak as well.

"In fact, they put a cheat code online that I shouldn't have used on Kid Icarus Uprising. I sold it back to this store then had nightmares, seeing through the eyes of the game, watching them die… So I worked here to keep an eye on the game. Then it ended up in your hands..." Said Ryan.

This information hit me all at once. "So... there's a group of people who mess around with games to cause the stories we see. And their cheat code caused that Kid Icarus game to go haywire?" I asked them to clarify.

"Yeah, that's pretty much what's going on." said Ryan.

"Oh man. This is so weird... and super cool!" Said my friend.

"But Valerie, how do you know all this? And why are they corrupting games in the first place?..." I asked Valerie.

As she talked, she went to a computer and started logging into a complicated-looking screen. "I watch their activity on the "Dark Web", it's the only place to find them."

My friend asked. "Wait, the Dark Web is real? I thought it's just a myth." Valerie gave a somewhat blank stare for about a second.

"It's not a myth... A common analogy is: the internet is like an iceberg, the top is the "Clear Web", a small percentage of the internet that we all know. Then the "Deep Web", a lot of codes and info that someone like you won't need…" Valerie was still typing on the computer, while she spoke.

"Then the "Dark Web". It's made for people to stay hidden online, but authorities closely watch for criminal activity. It's no place to visit for fun, curiosity could get you into serious trouble…" Valerie said as she skimmed through updates on the organization's web pages.

I didn't want to interrupt her, so I didn't ask anything else... Upon first impression, I thought she was just a bit strange. Valerie's actually kinda shady, at least in my opinion... I'm also wondering why she's telling people like us, we just met each other. Maybe we both played that game so she trusts us?...

Valerie seems to have found something online, she leaned forward to read it. I tried to read from where I stood, but I could only see:

"The recent AI we programmed in a video game has affected reality enough to cause a death, leaving absolutely no evidence of our existence. A big improvement from our previous attempts. This is progress towards our goal..."

After a long pause, Valerie stood up from the desk and faced us.

"I know this is asking a lot… But would you two help me end this? That child's loss is first to make the papers, but these people escaped punishment from many crimes…" Said Valerie.

"I, uh..." I wasn't sure what to say, then my friend stepped forward.

"Of course we'll help! If we don't, who else will?!" My friend had a point.

"Y-yeah, me too... This won't continue any longer!" I decided that for the sake of innocent lives and my experience with a game they corrupted, it'd be wrong to do nothing.

Valerie smiled and said "Excellent… I have a plan, but we gotta kill some time first. So how about we go somewhere for dinner? My treat."

We both said that'd be great, and all 4 of us hopped into Valerie's truck. My car was in a no tow-away zone, so I could leave it overnight. We agreed on going to a popular dinner restaurant with a friendly atmosphere. This would be a good chance to get know each other, I'm sure it'd be fun.

(Author's Note: For this fanfic I made up the idea about an organization of people causing games to go exe and kill players. I don't know if something similar really happened in real life, but this wasn't to replicate a real event.)


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6 - New Acquaintances

"Here we are!" Valerie announced as she parked her truck outside the restaurant. We exited the vehicle and walked inside, the restaurant was busier than I had expected. A waiter took us to a table and gave us menus.

"Oh man, all of this looks pretty tasty…" Said Ryan. "I'll get the soup and sandwich combo."

"And I'll uh… Get what he's getting because I can't decide!..." My friend said, trying to act cool or something.

Everything on the menu looked fancy. I planned to get something cheap since Valerie was treating us… But this steak looks exceptional… I couldn't decide, then Valerie placed her menu down.

"I know what I'm gettin'. You see anything you want?" She asked me.

"Hmm… I will also get the combo." I didn't want to make her pay for a steak, so I went with that. She gave us a questionable look.

"All three of you getting the soup and sandwich deal?... But don't you wanna-"

"No it's fine! Don't worry about it!" I didn't want the bill to be too high and I didn't want to take long since the waiter's coming this way.

"May I take your orders now?" The waiter asked, with pen and paper in hand.

Valerie glanced at us for a second and pushed up her glasses. "Okay, three orders of the soup and sandwich combo for them. And I'll have a grilled cheese sandwich."

That's a very cheap and simple thing to get at this restaurant. And Valerie didn't bring up any allergies while we talked. She didn't ask for a drink either... Maybe she IS trying to save money, good thing I didn't ask for the expensive steak.

"And your soft drinks for the combos?" The waiter replied. My friend and I picked our favorite sodas.

"Can I get a root beer float with that?" Said Ryan.

"You can order it separately, but the combo still has a drink." The waiter replied.

"Perfect, Valerie can have the soda." Said Ryan.

"O-oh, uh okay! I'll have a cola." Valerie said, the waiter took our orders and left.

Ryan said he forgot to change out of his work uniform, so he went to the bathroom, and changed to a graphic tee with a cute alpaca on it. It surprisingly goes with the leather jacket. Then our meals arrived, but the grilled cheese and root beer float wasn't ready yet. Ryan gave Valerie the soda.

We started eating, having small talk about ourselves and sharing laughs. At one point, Valerie kept talking on and on. It's as if she forgot she was in a restaurant and we were here with her...

"Tormenting the lives of others through video games. For what? And why do so many of their games end up in MY STORE?!... If I get valid evidence on anything they've done, I'll-" Valerie ranted out loud, staring at the cup of soda she gripped tightly to. Until the waiter walked over.

"Uh... Your grilled cheese, Ma'am…" The waiter nervously interrupted.

"Ohh, I'm sorry... Thank you!..." Said Valerie. He also brought Ryan's root beer float.

After watching that, I'm more worried about her than anything. It's like there's more to it than they only mess with games. Did they do something to her?... I pushed my thoughts aside because I wasn't about to ask, she's paranoid enough.

We dined on our meals, resuming our conversations to get to know each other. The sandwiches were good, but the soup was great. If only Valerie got the soup...

Valerie paid and tipped the waiter, then we hopped back into the truck. She said it needed gas, and needed to buy something. It was a quick drive, and it happened to be near a convenience store as well.

"So uhh, wanna go in the store too? Or nah?" Valerie asked.

"Sure, I'll go." Ryan said, getting out of the truck.

"Hey I work there! So I don't need anything. Haha." Said my friend.

"Oooh, cool!" Ryan said to my friend.

"Wow, what are the chances! And you?" Valerie asked me.

"I'll pass, thanks for asking though." I said.

Ryan and Valerie walked into the store after refilling gas, leaving my friend and I in the truck. Now I could ask my friend something I can't ask in front of those two.

"Hey, what do you think of Valerie and Ryan? Like, you think Valerie's kinda… Unusual? Shady?" I asked.

"... Yeaaah. She knows A LOT of weird things for someone like herself. And Ryan's pretty chill." Said my friend.

"She wants to stop the organization, but did she ever say WHY? I mean, I know they're bad people. But is that the ONLY reason she has a secret room in the back of her store to track them?" I asked them.

"Hmm, you might be onto something. She was saying ominous things to herself earlier, maybe she's insane…" My friend replied.

"I doubt it, but hopefully not… Should we ask if she's hiding something?" I questioned my friend.

"Umm, I don't think so… Oh! They're coming back! Act normal!" My friend said while quickly facing forward in their seat.

"Okay we're back. I'm gotta take these real quick." Valerie bought a bottle of water, and some ant-acids. I guess she's got an upset stomach or something? Ryan bought a small flashlight, it seems he's prepared for anything.

The street lights illuminated the city as night drew closer, and now it's time for 'Valerie's Plan'. Come to think of it, she didn't explain what we're doing. While she was driving us, I eventually asked "Where are we going, exactly?"

"We're going to them directly. They're located under an electrical power plant. The night shift doesn't pay attention, we could easily sneak in. After that, I can't guarantee anything. Just don't wander off inside that place..." Said Valerie.

She drove down a long road, continuing into miles of empty land. Though I could see one thing in the distance, the power plant that fuels our city.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7 - Here We Go

After a lengthy drive, we arrived at the power plant. Nothing but dry land surrounded us. No houses, no buildings, not even bushes or trees. We stepped out of the truck and walked towards the power plant, it's massive height loomed over us.

"Aw man, this power plant is gigantic. It blows my mind that it makes electricity for our city." My friend bent backwards a little, trying to see the top.

"The place we need to go is below it. There's a door somewhere in the ground. Let's find it, without wasting any time." Valerie said.

The four of us walked around, watching for anything out of the ordinary. I still wondered why Valerie knew any of this, but it's too late to bring it up now.

"Hey I think I found it. There's metal under the soil over here." Said Ryan.

"That was fast. You have good eyes." Valerie inspected the plate of metal for anything to unlock it.

"Heheh. I wouldn't say I got PERFECT vision, but I did hear a clank when I walked over it." Ryan said.

Valerie brushed away the soil with her hands, and she pulled a small latch on the side. It made a *click*, and the underground doorway was unlocked. Through that door was a dark staircase. The metal stairs were rusty and covered in dirt, it looked old.

"I feel like a secret agent, or a super spy!... And a criminal, sorta… I never had so much fun in my life!" Whispered my friend.

"Alright, let's go. And don't worry about the truck. The night watch didn't notice us so far." Valerie grinned.

"Flashlights, man. Always handy to have 'em!" Said Ryan, he took out the small flashlight he bought earlier and lit the way.

It lead us to a small room with an elevator made of glass, or something similar to glass. The four of us went inside, there was only one button. Valerie pushed it and the elevator took us down.

Through the transparent elevator, we could see distant rooms, separated by glass walls. It looked high-tech, people in white uniforms were walking around. One room had beds and another looked like a lounge. Maybe the workers have to live in this place? It's hard to believe all this was under an electrical power supply. In fact this organization looks bigger than the power plant itself.

"There's probably other elevators on the lowest floor to get into those rooms. I believe this elevator has only one stop as a security tactic. You know, so you can't get off anywhere on the way up…" Valerie spoke while staring straight out to the rooms beyond the clear walls.

We got to the lowest level and the elevator door opened. This room had metal walls, 2 doors, and one security camera. All of us walked into the room, and the elevator closed behind us.

We looked around the room, though it was empty. In a few seconds, there was a soft beeping noise from beyond the walls. He heard something above us, air vents spewing gas opened up from the ceiling!

"Sleeping gas! Quick, check the doors!" Valerie shouted while covering her nose and mouth with her sleeve.

We ran towards the closed doors, frantically turning the knobs. They were both locked, and the gas was spreading quickly.

"I'll check the elevator!" My friend ran to it, pushing the button did nothing and and the door wouldn't budge.

I kept trying to find a way out, then heard a thud, I turned around they were already on the floor in front of the elevator! Then Valerie, Ryan and myself, all fell unconscious in that room and everything faded out.

Why didn't we think it through that a place like this would have traps? Or could this have been a setup? Was it Valerie who planned all this?... I'm afraid to find out what they've done to us when we wake up. IF we wake up...

(Author's Note: Not sure if anyone would be uncomfortable to read a lot of swears in this fanfic, but I'll say this: some profanity awaits. Also in the beginning I said this might be too scary, lol I dunno what I was thinking.)


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8 - What Happened?

I woke up with blurry vision and a terrible headache, I can remember the restaurant and the convenience store but that's about it … Wait, I know what happened. The power plant, the underground entrance, the sleeping gas, we're inside that organization right now...

Eventually my vision cleared up, I was in a white room that had a computer on a table, and a large screen connected to it hung from the wall. There was a white door on the right of the room and a metal door on the left. The metal door had a turning wheel instead of a doorknob. After trying to get up, I noticed I've been tied to a chair with rope! Looking around, the rest of us were also tied to chairs.

"Guys! Wake up!" I called to them, and I noticed my mouth was dry. We must've been here for a couple hours.

"Ughh… Yooooo what the fuck. What the actual fuck!" My friend said, they tried to shift around in the chair but the rope was too tight.

*Yawn* "That was a good nap… Ah HELL." Ryan was more irritated than anything.

"That room was a trap, I should've known..." Valerie was looking around the room.

"I ain't into this kinky shit, goddamnit!" My friend yelled. I almost laughed, but now isn't the time for jokes.

We heard footsteps. The white door opened, a man in a white lab coat stepped out. He looked old, with combed-back greying hair and a small beard on his chin.

"So what brought your four to our underground facility? I didn't expect visitors…" The man said.

"Who are you?" I asked.

"My name is not important, though I am the leader of this organization. We are a group known as 'Perfect World'. And we aim to solve big issues of this planet. Pollution, overpopulation, many things... We aim to fix these problems by-" Valerie cut the man off.

"Shut it! I know of your flawed agenda!... Perfect World is developing malicious AI to infect games and spread it over the wifi connection. It will invade that online community and soon enough, the rest of the internet!" Valerie was angry. This must be what she was rambling about from before.

"And you plan to make technology so dangerous that the world will stop using it? You think that'll work?!" Valerie barked out.

It was satisfying to watch Valerie call them out, but she didn't tell us all that earlier... The man was surprised, maybe even impressed.

"Well what do we have here? A user of the Dark Web? That's very interesting." The man said, he walked around us in this all-white room.

"You just gonna walk circles around us all day?" Said Ryan.

"Yeah, old man! Never seen PEOPLE before!?" My friend added in.

"Oh but I'm dying to know. How you just 'found' the underground staircase. Near an isolated power plant, so far from the city… We never shared this location on the Dark Web… Anyone care to explain?" He walked in front of the computer desk.

I hardly knew what was going on, only Valerie or possibly Ryan would know. Though it WAS Valerie who lead us here.

"... Don't you recognize me? Take a good look at my face. Who do you think I am?..." Said Valerie with a cold stare.

He stepped forward.

"... Shizuko?!... You're alive?..." The man took a step back.

"Valerie, why is he calling you that?..." My friend asked, but she did not respond. Ryan seems to have already known, since he didn't react. Valerie continued to glare blankly.

"I assume that you HAVEN'T told them... Why don't you introduce yourself, 'Valerie'? Heheh…" He scoffed.

"... About 10 years ago, I've been told that working for a certain organization will benefit all of humanity. Just had to make software, artificial intelligence, and occasional hacking…" We all kept quiet while Valerie explained.

"I created some well-functioning AI and softwares, thinking many people would benefit… When I found out what they ACTUALLY used it for, I made an escape. But I knew they'd be after me..."

"I returned home, one last time. Telling everyone what happened, and that I had to leave. It was the only way to protect them from Perfect World's reach."

"I never contacted them again, I changed any means of identification, I faked my own death. 'Shizuko' had to die, in order for them to stay alive..." The tone of anger in Valerie's voice began to fade.

"My AI eventually got programmed into a Nintendo 3DS game, you three know which one. I'm the reason 'Pit .exe' existed. Sorry I couldn't tell you until now…" She finished explaining.

So that's what happened with her and Perfect World? Shizuko was a worker here until she ran away from Perfect World and her old life. She changed name to Valerie, and her AI made that Kid Icarus game 'cursed'?

Now everything makes sense, in the end, it was none of our faults. Valerie worked for them, but the organization lied to her. Ryan used their cheat code, but he wouldn't have known it'd bring the game to life. And we played the game, but there's not much we could've done about it.

"Valerie… Don't blame yourself, that wasn't your fault… " I said quietly.

She didn't say anything, a dead silence filled the room. The man in the lab coat spoke.

"... Anyways, we don't let trespassers leave this place knowing everything about us… But because your 'leader' used to be one of us, I'll make an exception..."

"Come back to us, Shizuko. Your skills are exactly what we need! And the rest of you have to stay here, but you'll witness a new era of mankind!... But if you won't cooperate, the four of you will die... So, do we have a deal? Take your time..." Asked the Leader of Perfect World.

This is a tight situation. It's either Valerie says yes, or we'll be killed down here. What would she decide? I'm starting to wish I never payed attention to that newspaper article at work yesterday...

(Author's Note: I thought of "Perfect World" because they want to make the world perfect, but I believe absolute perfection is impossible to attain. Everything will have some sort of flaw or downside.

They think they can kill a ton of people to reduce the overpopulation, and make technology dangerous that people will stop making/using it. Because factories pollute, making smoke and devices that don't biodegrade. That's just my explanation of what this fictional organization is.)


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9 - Perfect World

The Leader of this organization just offered Valerie a deal. She could assist them in their plans, or refuse and we'd be killed. Honestly I hope she doesn't help them...

For about a minute, Valerie's eyes darted around. Looking at the computer, to the man in the lab coat, the three of us, and her arms tied to her chair.

"Well, Shizuko?..." The man asked.

Valerie's expression changed.

"Looks like I got my old job back." She said confidently.

"What?!" I blurted out. Why is she agreeing to this?!

"I knew you'd make the right choice!" He exclaimed.

"Val, what's gotten into ya?!" Ryan shouted.

"We're here to stop these guys, remember?!" My friend objected.

"Shizuko knows what's best for the future of the planet! Who would turn down that opportunity?!" The man said jubilantly.

"Can I use the computer over there? I'll start right away." Valerie asked.

I don't get it, does she really want to help them again? Though she's been trying to stop them for years, that can't be... This guy keeps referring to her as "Shizuko", did hearing that old name make her snap? Or was she was honestly willing to return after 10 years of hiding?... Either way, this is not good.

"Why of course! But let me cut the rope first!" He went through the white door and came back with a small knife.

He cut her limbs free from the chair, Valerie moved it to the desk and started up the computer. The big screen on the wall was connected to it, and we could see the screen.

She went on the Dark Web again, pulling up tabs of web pages filled with codes. Working on whatever she was doing at incredible speed. Just like when she showed us the secret room inside the store, she was acting like someone else.

"Do you have my old data? I'll need it for this." She said while typing up a storm.

"In the file with your name on it." The man replied.

She found it, and started to add codes from the Dark Web to that file. While those two weren't paying attention to us, I talked to my friend and Ryan.

"Guys, this is bad. Anyone have a plan to get out of here?..." I asked the both of them quietly.

"Not really. Man, I don't know what she was thinking..." Ryan whispered.

"She doesn't need to keep us alive if it means helping the enemy!" My friend said.

"Hey! Be quiet! You'll distract her…" The man turned around to silence us.

Valerie continued to furiously type into the codes, adding things from the Dark Web into that one file with the AI. She had so many tabs on the top of the screen...

"... The program is ready. Should I launch it now?…" Valerie said, staring at the screen.

"Fantastic work! Yes, launch it!" The man said.

"Don't do it Valerie!" Ryan shouted out.

But it was too late, it had already started to load. The large screen on the wall read:

LOADING: 13%

"Valerie! What are you doing?!" I called out, but she didn't turn around. I'm not even sure if she's listening to us anymore.

LOADING: 34%

"Oh god, what about the children?! They'll be playing evil video games if it spreads!" Said my friend.

LOADING: 40%

"This'll help fix some of the planet's problems! Simply by ending a few billion lives, it's no big deal!" Said the Leader of Perfect World.

LOADING: 76%

"If that thing uploads, this world's fucked…" Ryan shook his head slowly.

LOADING: 84%

Valerie was chuckling as the AI file was uploading, then she started laughing maniacally. Maybe she was on their side this whole time. I doubt there's anything we can say or do that'll bring 'Valerie' back...

LOADING: 91%

"At last, moments away from a breakthrough in technology!" He said.

LOADING: 100% - LAUNCHING NOW

"Hahaha! Well done, Shizuko! I knew you could do it!" The man shouted in glee.

I could hardly believe this was happening! There's not much I can do because I'm still tied to a chair. Even though we won't die, we'll never see the world outside again...

The screen stayed at 100% for a while, then it flickered, and the screen turned to static with the message:

FILE ERROR - FILE ERROR

LAUNCHING: PIT .EXE

"What?... What's this 'Pit .exe'?!" The man said angrily.

"HahaHAHAHA ! !" Valerie stood up from the chair laughing at the screen.

Instead of actually making another hacking AI, she secretly installed Pit .exe!? That whole thing was an act!

TERMINATING ALL PROGRAMS

ALL DATA - DELETED

"My old AI had an emergency off-switch, self-activated when 99% of the game gets infected. The AI named it "Pure Claws" when I found the 3DS game you installed it to." Valerie explained.

"So I created new versions of the self-destructing AI, uploaded it to the Dark Web for the day I'd finally use it! My work just ruined your entire organization!" She kept laughing.

The Leader of Perfect World was furious, he pulled out a gun from his coat! He aimed it at Valerie.

"You were one of our best developers back in the day, but I'll kill you for this!" He threatened.

"Hah! The past decade of my life was for this moment! Fuckin' shoot if that makes you happy!" Valerie scoffed.

He growled and put his finger on the trigger.

Suddenly, the metal door on our left got busted open! Something walked out of it, I couldn't believe my eyes. It looked like a person but when the dust cleared, it was Pit .exe!

"Sorry to keep you waiting." Pit .exe said, in a haunting voice. The man looked over at Pit .exe for a second, and he pulled the trigger on Valerie!

I thought this would be the end of her, but nothing happened. I heard the gunshot, but somehow there was no bullet! I noticed that Pit .exe put his arm back to his side. Did he do that?

"Tch! The hell are you?!" He fired 2 bullets at Pit .exe, but his body glitched and the bullets didn't go through him. Then he lifted his hand out, and the 2 bullets were in his hand! He dropped them on the floor.

Pit .exe kept his arm out and nobody moved or said anything... Then with an evil expression, his Cursed Palm hand shot the man's arm with the 3rd bullet!

"AAAGGH! YOU LITTLE-!" The man pulled the trigger on the gun, but it was empty. Pit .exe started walking forward.

The busted metal door behind Pit .exe was open, and there were other corrupted game characters! Characters like Ben Drowned, Sonic, even Spyro and some Pokemon that have become .exe's were all walking out together. The Leader of Perfect World did nothing but back away with his injured arm.

"No! This can't be!" The man said in disbelief.

"Let's play a game... 5 minutes until this place burns to the ground… Ready?" Said Pit .exe.

The man rushed through the white door, running away.

"GO!" Pit .exe shouted, and most of the .exe's went after him. There was a Pichu .exe, who went to grab the knife the man used to cut Valerie's ropes. Pichu ran out with the knife.

Mario .exe went over to us tied to the chairs, and tore the ropes like a piece of paper with his hands.

"You four-a need to get outta here! Leave-a these bad guys to-a us!" Mario .exe said in a happy, distorted voice.

"Oh my god, Mario I'm like your biggest fan! Thank you for saving us!" My friend was overly excited again.

"Aww, well-a saving those in danger is-a what I do best! Now quickly! The way out is-a through that white door!" Mario .exe pointed to it, we could see the elevator in the distance.

"We'll leave right now, thanks Mario!" I said while running towards the door.

"Yeah, man! Much appreciated!" Ryan said.

Outside, we saw the chaos of the .exe's demolishing everything. All the workers were getting attacked and all their computers were destroyed or on fire. Then we all got into the elevator and hit the one button to go up.

"They're all so angry…" I said, while watching from inside the elevator.

"Forced to be evil, but evil is what they fight against, I'm sure they're more than angry..." Valerie replied.

"They're PISSED, heheheh." Ryan chuckled.

The elevator eventually got to the top and the door opened. I walked out, my friend walked out, Ryan walked out...

Before Valerie could step onto the metal floor, the glass elevator shattered! She fell down with the broken shards of glass, and most of the organization below was now a flaming battlefield.

"VALERIE!" The three of us cried out. There's no rope around here, and the only way up is destroyed. And from the lowest level, everything was burning. I don't think she'll survive the fall and if she did, she won't survive the fire! All we could do was watch in horror, Valerie is about to die...


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10 - Her Name means 'Valiance'

(Valerie's POV)

The glass shattered. I won't even bother to cry out for help. I didn't come here with the fear of dying, I came here to sabotage Perfect World… I can feel the heat of the flames beneath me… Of course, that's what shattered the glass.

I'm descending further away from the three above, they're panicking and shouting. Why are they calling for help? No human could save me in this situation…

Looks like I'm not escaping this place for a second time...

I'm nearing the floor already, the heat was unbearable at this level. With all the smoke from the burning computers and machines, I could hardly breathe. Surrounded by the screams of these dying workers and the screams of my friends above, but I could no longer understand what they were saying... I blacked out.

…

I found myself standing on a white platform within empty blackness, the edges were slowly cracking away. This looks like what Ryan told me about in the 'dreams', now it's been reduced to a crumbling floor… Pit .exe was standing in front of me, with a content smile.

"You really surprised me back there. Bending reality to shoot my former boss with his own bullet… But tell me. Is this your 'void', or have I fallen to my death?" I asked him.

"Shizuko, how could you assume I'd just watch you die!? You made my AI with only good intentions!... And we haven't actually met each other yet. So this is my first time talking to you, Creator!" He smiled cheerfully.

"Guess you're right, Artificial Intelligence systems are quite smart. I created yours with the hope of helping others, and you've done just that... By the way, Shizuko was my old name. I changed my identity to escape this organization, you can call me Valerie." I explained while the floor continued to crumble away.

"Ohh, so that's why I heard two names outside the computer… But I just knew it was you on the other end! I recognized your typing pattern on the keyboard!" Pit .exe sounded proud of himself.

I couldn't help but laugh at that last part.

"You're more like a living person than artificial intelligence, you know that?... I was hoping that AI would change someone's life. Though I never imagined it'd end up saving mine. I really must thank you for that." I said with gratuity.

"But because of you, I got to experience what 'life' was like.. Keeping you alive is just returning the favor!... Anyways, there isn't much time. I'm so happy to have met my Creator after all those years! Goodbye, Valerie!" The rest of the floor broke away and with a flash of blinding light, I woke to familiar voices...

(Protagonist's POV)

While Valerie was plummeting towards the fire and destruction below, there was absolutely nothing we could've done to save her. But before she reached the bottom, Pit .exe caught her in the nick of time. She was unconscious when he brought her back up. He said that we must leave as soon as we can, then he flew back into Perfect World. His wings weren't glowing either, so that means he was finally able to fly by himself!... A beautiful sight, but there's no time to stand there and watch.

"Can you hear us, Valerie?!" I asked.

"Oh my god! She's not dead, is she?!" My friend was still freaking out.

"Hey Val, you okay?" Ryan tapped her on the shoulder.

Valerie opened her eyes and eventually stood up. She glanced down to the organization, engulfed in rising flames. This room with a metal interior was heating up quickly.

"I'm fine, I just inhaled a lot of smoke... We need to leave, NOW!" Said Valerie.

We all ran up the staircase and reached the top, the air was visibly clearer up here. We headed towards Valerie's truck, but there was a sleepy and cranky looking man standing next to it.

"Hey you four! Is this your truck? What're you even doing here?!" He shouted at us, I assume he's the power plant's nightwatch.

"No time to explain but we gotta go, this place will burn like an unattended oven real soon. You'll die if you stay here." Ryan warned.

"He's right, you know! There's a secret underground organization who programs evil AI's in video games and everything's on fire now!" Said my friend.

"Are you high or somethin'? That's bullshit! And I'll get fired for leaving the place unattended!" He said in a sassy tone.

"Oh now that's ironic coming from you. But we're leaving anyways. Please excuse us." Valerie said.

"Lady, I don't know what you're talkin' about, but fine! Just skidattle so I can finish my night shift!" The guy said as he stepped away from the truck.

As soon as we got in and buckled our seat belts, Valerie drove back to the city at a very high speed. My friend and I sat in the back while Ryan was in the front seat.

"Poor guy, he's not gonna make it…" My friend said, while watching him walk back to the power plant.

"If we stayed there to convince him, we'll be in trouble ourselves…" Valerie replied.

"Would you look at that, they didn't search us!" Ryan pulled out a revolver from the inside of his leather jacket. Valerie just laughed.

"You had a gun?! Awesome!" Said my friend.

I was looking out the window to the power plant behind us. The underground staircase had flames coming out of it, and what appeared to be a Perfect World employee on a motorcycle was driving after us.

"There's someone chasing us!" I said loudly to get their attention. Valerie looked in the rear view mirror.

"Was there another way up? How'd he get out?..." Valerie said, looking through the rear view mirror.

"Sending GOONS, eh?" Ryan loaded his gun with a bullet and took aim at the guy out the window.

Ryan fired one shot and hit the front tire of the motorcycle, sending the vehicle spiraling out of control. In a split second, something blue and red zoomed out from the staircase to drag him back, all we heard was "You're too slow!" followed by the man's screams and the motorcycle skidding on the road.

"Holy shit! Was that Sonic the Hedgehog?!" My friend shouted.

"I think it was Sonic .exe!" I said.

Valerie continued driving her truck down the road leading straight to the city. When we got to the city streets, she slowed down to the speed limit and entered as any vehicle would.

All of a sudden, the whole power plant burst into flames and began to collapse into the ground! Burning pieces of the building and electricity sprung through the air like fireworks in the night. The people in the city were all chattering or panicking, some were just recording it on their phones.

"Hoooo boy, look at that!" Ryan said, turning around to look. Valerie also turned around even though she was driving.

"Oh shit that place went DOWN!" Said my friend.

Soon after that, all the electricity went out. All the cars were honking their horns and people were turning on their flashlights everywhere. Somewhere distant sounded like a few vehicles just crashed. And eventually there were sirens from fire trucks and helicopters heading over to extinguish the massive fire out in the middle of nowhere.

Tonight was probably the most dangerous and exciting night we've ever had, and most importantly the four of us survived! We've taken down the organization Perfect World, who wanted to infect games with .exe viruses on a global scale. Their intentions were to fix things like overpopulation, but ending the lives of that many people is a cruel method.

Now that they're gone, nobody should stumble upon any abnormal video games that could cause them trouble. We've put an end to the organization after all.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11 - What Remains In The End

The city's street lamps and traffic lights eventually went back on. Maybe there's a generator in the city for those. It can't be the power plant, that thing's completely destroyed. Traffic resumed and we drove back to the shopping mall.

"So uhh, your car's still in the parking lot, by the way." Valerie told me while we got out of the truck.

"Oh right, my car..." I had almost forgotten that I left it parked in the mall.

"With the power outage, the street lights could still malfunction. Best to play it safe and drive it home during the day." Ryan added.

"Yo guys… That was INSANE! Is this real life? Did all those people in Perfect World just die?! Was Pit .exe really-" My friend paused.

"He's gotta be dead now, all of them… Damn, he finally got to fly by himself then he died in the fire!..." Said my friend.

"Pit always wanted to fly, didn't he…" I took one more glace in the direction of the power plant and sighed.

"That might've been their first and last time breaking free from their games, but they defeated their 'bad guys' and got their revenge. Maybe their souls can rest now, if they have souls..." Said Ryan.

The sky above us was pitch black, but the stars were shining brighter than ever. Was this because half the city lights were out? Or could it be that the corrupted game characters became stars themselves? In the distance, we could see that the scorched power plant has been extinguished.

"... Well, we can stay in the game store till morning. Most places are without power, but I've kept a backup generator for this very moment." Valerie said proudly.

"Gosh, Valerie. Did you prepare for an alien invasion too?" Said my friend, jokingly.

"Aliens already live among us, they have no plans on invasion." Valerie replied.

"Woah, really? They are!?" My friend said in shock.

"Haha! No, I was kidding. Don't believe everything you hear, it could get you into some serious shit one day." Valerie said sternly and blankly.

We started walking through the mall, all the store's lights were off. Then we arrived at the game store with its lights on, Valerie opened the locked doors. After moving the large cabinet to enter the secret room, we sat down at a table and cracked open some drinks.

Sharing laughs and conversations as if we're old friends reunited, it's strange to think we only met Valerie and Ryan yesterday. And I haven't seen my friend in so long. It still feels like I just played that used game and stumbled upon its horrors, but that was 7 years ago. Life goes on, but memories and experiences we hold close stay with us throughout our lives.

Soon enough, it was morning. We used cell phones and the computers to tell time since there were no windows to let in sunlight. Valerie went on the Dark Web again.

"Hey check this out, those web pages are gone!" Valerie turned around in her chair to tell us.

The Tor Browser had "Perfect World" in the search, everything below was just related searches that had nothing to do with the organization. There will be no more mysterious video games terrorizing it's players. At least not from Perfect World.

"Man, Pit .exe deleted EVERYTHING. Heheh, he'd make a good cyber criminal if he wasn't an AI." Said Ryan.

My cell phone got a notification from the local news app. I opened the article.

UNEXPLAINED AND SUSPICIOUS EXPLOSION AT ELECTRICAL POWER PLANT!

At about 2:12 AM this morning, the city's Electrical Power Plant suffered a massive explosion. The city will be without power until backup generators are installed. Though buildings with Solar Power and other renewable energy sources should be up and running.

Instead of just collapsing, the Power Plant sunk into the ground. Investigators find that there was architecture and an organization beneath it. They have reason to believe it was an illegal underground technical facility.

There were various burnt video games among the computers and devices. Recently there's been an incident of a young boy's death, supposedly caused by playing an abnormal video game. Our investigators speculate this facility was involved, but there is no confirmation. For some reason, all the working hard drives they dug up had no data. An estimate of 300 dead bodies are down there, and there are no known survivors.

"Heheh, 'no known survivors'. They have no idea... Let's keep it that way, so we don't get interrogated." Valerie said.

"Yeah that would suck. They won't believe us if we said the .exe's caused the explosion!" Said my friend.

"Oh definitely, they'll think we're crazy… Well the sun should be up by now. You can leave anytime. I assume you have responsibilities of your own?" Valerie asked.

"Actually I do. I'm not sure if there's work with the power outage, but I could also use a shower." I said.

"Me too, but first we should get some grub from anywhere with a working stove." Said Ryan.

"Good idea, I drank some sodas but I should eat some actual food…" Said my friend.

"How 'bout you three go on ahead, I gotta do something in this room. Afterwards, I'll call Ryan to ask where you went and I'll meet you there. Sounds good?" Valerie asked.

"Sounds like a plan, Val... Do you two like Spicy Buffalo Wings? I know this great place but we'll have to see if they're open." Said Ryan.

"I see you have good tastes, my dude!" My friend said, and I went along with them.

We arrived at the Buffalo Wings restaurant, luckily it was open. A lot of other places were closed. Eventually Valerie called Ryan, walked over, and we all ate spicy wings together at a table by the window.

A usual day at work and reading that newspaper article lead to an unbelievable adventure. We probably saved a lot of people from that evil organization and made two new friends. We also witnessed the .exe's in action, and we saw Pit .exe… They're gone, and so is Perfect World...

Valerie was staring out the window for a long time. I was about to ask what she's looking at, but I decided to look myself.

There were two pigeons outside the window. Pigeons are all over the city, common birds you see everyday...

"Do you like birds?" I asked Valerie.

"Kind of… Is it just me, or do they seem 'familiar' to you?" She asked.

The two pigeons both had red eyes. One was an all-grey pigeon, clean feathers and somehow it looked a bit angry. The other was a white pigeon, but it was dirty and it's feathers were all messy. It seemed to be happy when I looked at it. The white one walked closer, staring back at me with fluffed up feathers.

Ryan and my friend faced the window as well. None of us spoke, we just watched the two birds on the other side of the glass.

After a while, the grey one tapped the white one with its beak. The white one pulled a clean feather off it's back and placed it on the windowsill. They both flew away together, and then I realized what Valerie meant! Those birds WERE familiar! I wish I had noticed sooner!

Valerie smiled at the sight of those birds flying towards the sky.

"Heheh, those birds… Reminds me of-… Nah, that's impossible…" My friend said.

"After what just happened last night, who knows? Maybe it was?" Said Ryan.

"Ehh, they were alive because of codes and software. They had Artificial Intelligence, but I don't think they were really 'alive'..." I said, but without confidence.

I continued to watch the birds until they vanished into the clear blue sky. Then I looked down to the windowsill, the feather wasn't there anymore...

Outside the window, somehow, was a Kid Icarus Uprising 3DS game cartridge. Nobody walked over and left it there, it wasn't there before, and the feather wasn't even on the ground.

I'd have to be imagining this or just hallucinating, maybe I'm more tired than I thought, there's no way that just happened...

…

"Right?"

END

(Author's Note: My apologies, I took a longer time to finish the last chapters. Honestly I don't know if I enjoy it as much as before. I'm picking up new hobbies and fanfic writing takes a lot of time, it may not be my thing.

But I got a few explanations of the story that I couldn't explain in-story.

When Perfect World's Leader had only 3 bullets - That's because if Valerie disagreed to work for them, he'd force her anyways. They'd probably torture her until she does or kill her another way. But they didn't plan to kill Valerie, despite threatening to kill all 4 of them. He loaded the gun in the other room while getting a knife to cut Valerie's ropes off the chair.

Valerie falling from the shattered glass elevator - It would've been the two protagonists, but I changed it to Valerie because if she programmed Pit .exe with a command like "kill all Perfect World Affiliates", she'd be one of them, as a former worker. It's also possible that Pit .exe shattered the glass elevator on purpose to speak with her in the 'void'. Otherwise he'd die without ever meeting his creator. And I basically made the opposite of the cannon KIU ch. 5 scene where Dark Pit attacks Pandora straight away, lol.

Now this is the very end, I hope I don't make a 4th. This fanfic revealed the true antagonists and everything's back to normal, except for the KIU game on the window. They probably take it home and play it as a normal game. I had an idea that Valerie makes a game thing with an interactive talking Pit so he'll never be lonely talking to all the store customers, but I thought "no, their souls will transfer to birds instead."

Thank you all for reading this fanfic to its end! I had a lot of fun in the process but I guess I'll say I'm taking a break from it. See you in the next story!)


End file.
